Rajya Sabha Adjourns Briefly After BSP Protests Atrocities Against Dalits

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly on the opening day of Monsoon session as BSP members trooped into the Well alleging atrocities on dalits in BJP-ruled Gujarat. Soon after laying of papers when the Question Hour began, BSP chief Mayawati raised the issue of recent incident in which some members of the dalit community, engaged in skinning dead animals, were beaten up in Gujarat.

She said some anti-social elements tied their hands, stripped them and beat them up in a market in broad daylight. The police did not take immediate action and the crowd too did not intervene, the BSP leader alleged and blamed the state government too for not taking prompt action against the culprits.

Accusing the ruling BJP of being ‘anti-dalit’, she said the state police swung into action only after the incident was highlighted by the media. This shows the “anti-dalit mindset” of the BJP, she said and alleged that such incidents of atrocities against dalits have increased ever since the BJP-led government has come to power at the Centre.

Countering the allegations, Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the “saviour” of the entire country and said that as per convention, name of any political party should not be taken while raising issues. As Mayawati was speaking on atrocities against dalits, some BSP members trooped into the Well raising slogans.

Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House for ten minutes. Earlier, Sitaram Yechury (CPM) pointed out that he has given a notice for adjournment of Question Hour for taking up the issue of rising prices.

Venkaiah, Nirmala, Chidambaram Take Oath

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and M Venkaiah Naidu, former finance Minister P Chidambaram as well as SP leader Amar Singh were among 43 newly-elected and re-elected members of Rajya Sabha who took oath today. New Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, former telecom minister Kapil Sibal, former minister and NCP leader Praful Patel, JD-U leader Sharad Yadav and RJD strongman Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misha Bharti were the other prominent members who took oath.

Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani and former ministers Ambika Soni and Beni Prasad Verma were others who took oath in Rajya Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. While members thumped desks to welcome those taking oath, Chairman Hamid Ansari greeted the newly elected with a “Welcome” and the re-elected with “Welcome Back.”

Visitors galleries were packed with family members, friends and well-wishers of the members taking oath and on a couple of occasions, going against the convention, some even cheered their leaders. After taking oath, members greeted senior leaders of various political parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came in midway through the oath taking.

Chidambaram on GST Bill

“Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma have held talks with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley has promised to come back with some concrete proposals,” says former finance minister P Chidambaram. The senior Congress leader adds, “Let us see the draft which they bring, and we will respond.”